From the fertile hills of a tiny village near Jerusalem to the elegant townhouses of Georgetown, Three Daughters is a historical saga that chronicles the lives, loves, and secrets of three generations of Palestinian Christian women.
Born in rural Palestine, just before the dawn of the twentieth century, Miriam adores her father and is certain his love will protect her, but she soon finds that … soon finds that tradition overrides love. Uprooted by war, Miriam enters a world where the old constraints slip away with thrilling and disastrous results. Miriam’s rebellious daughter, Nadia, is thrilled with the opportunity for a modern life that her elite education provides. But when she falls in love with an outsider, the clan reins her back with a shocking finality. Nijmeh, Nadia’s daughter, is an only child and the path her father, the sheik, sets for her is fraught with difficulties, yet it prepares her for her ultimate journey to America, where she finds her future.
Each woman, in her own time and in her own way, experiences a world in transition through war and social change…and each must stretch the bounds of her loyalty, her courage, and her heart.
Revised edition: Previously published as Daughters, this edition of Three Daughters includes editorial revisions.
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I chose to read this book because my in-laws, like the author’s family, were Arab Christians in Palestine, displaced by the British, and fled to South America to find a new life. What I found here was a beautiful account of three generations of a family, accurately depicted in its extensive use of detail. I can only add that I found the found the novel to be slightly disloyal to history, as the author greatly minimizes the toll suffered by Palestinians in 1948 and later. However, all in all, a captivating read.
This time period in Israel is one that I had only a glancing knowledge of. The captivating characters and the lives they led during this transformative time in the history of this region, was conveyed exceptionally well, in three generations of daughters. I learned a lot about the diversity of desert cultures thats once resided in this region.
This is a different perspective into one of American history’s leaders. Although I am not finished reading it, it is detailed. For me, it is a slow read and that’s ok.
This was a very interesting read – the story of three daughters with twists and turns in every chapter. A good story of how life unfolds in the most unusual ways.
I originally purchased this book as the jacket indicated it was about 3 generations of Palestinian Christians. I thought that was a novel deviation and was hoping for more historical background than the book provided. However, Three Daughters is a solid read about three generations of Arabic daughters (no spoilers here) that grow up from the late 1800s through the 1960s. Baehr does a good job of developing her characters so you feel as if you know them without the minutia when developing characters across several lifespans. There are plenty of twists and surprises to keep you interested – and you do get some insights of Bedouin and Arabic life as well as some of the effects British rule had during the early 1900s. There is also a good representation in of women, their strengths, convictions, and how they dealt with life in Palestine as well as later on in America. It is a lengthy tome but worth the read. It lacks some of the spark of a spirited historical fiction that is thought provoking, but I really did enjoy reading this novel. Give it a try – I think you will like it.
Loved this book. Might not be realistic, but it sure kept my interest.
This wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I thought it would be much more in depth about family and what it was like to live in the middle east through three generations of women. She did some of this but the main idea of the book was the tragedies, romances, and marriages of the women. It did have a some POV from the men which brought the story together. The first part of the book really caught my attention but after that it had so many boring parts within the good parts I almost gave up. It wasn’t a bad book but considering it was 700 pages long I would think it could have been more.